By Danny Stone
USGA Boatwright Intern
Attending the Boatwright Internship orientation at USGA headquarters in New Jersey was something I had been looking forward to since being offered this position almost a year ago. I looked forward to the opportunity to network with well connected, highly respected members of the golf industry. I looked forward to the opportunity to meet Boatwright interns from other states and share experiences with them. Truthfully, I didn’t know what to expect over the course of the two and a half days that were to be spent in New Jersey.
Upon arrival at the Dolce Hotel, all of the Boatwright interns were treated to a meal and an introduction from Emily von Doehren, Senior Director of Regional Affairs for the USGA. The next morning, the group met in the hotel auditorium and it was time to get the orientation underway. We learned about the history of the USGA. Founded in 1894, the USGA was originally was designed only to monitor amateur status and run championship events. Now, the USGA does so much more! The first speaker of the day was Mark Peterson, Executive Director of the Golf Association of Philadelphia. He spoke about making the most of your opportunities; standing out; being remembered. This type of talk resonates with me, because it’s how I try and be; curious, interested, and helpful. He encouraged the group to take the internship seriously and learn as much as possible. Mr. Peterson even gave us a sheet of paper outlining “tips to the top” such as; ask questions, make your presentation perfect, and don’t take any task lightly.
We then heard from an agronomist, Dave Oatis, who happens to be the Northeast Regional Director of the USGA’s Green Section Team. Learning about golf course maintenance and the effect negligence can have on a golf course was eye opening. Sometimes golf course conditions can drastically change for the worse, sometimes through negligence and others by the forces of nature like pesky insects. These are issues you might not think about when you’re out playing on a beautiful golf course, but are things our superintendents deal with on a daily basis.
Next we heard from Steve Schloss, Chief People Officer for the USGA. Steve had an impressive background. He had spent a career in human resources and management for several highly distinguished corporations and encouraged the group to think creatively and devote themselves to whatever it is you are doing in your career and life.
The next speakers were Karen Parker, Senior Director of Championship Administration and Greg Sanfilippo, Director of Junior Amateur and Senior Amateur Championships It was interesting to hear their perspective and experiences in the administration of tournaments at the highest level. It appeared to me that the processes and strategies surrounding Championship Administration used by the USGA sounded quite similar to the experiences I have seen in the tournament operations I have seen at GAM.
We certainly took in a lot of information on the first day of the orientation! At this point, several of the interns gathered in the hotel restaurant for a short repast, sharing of stories, and some friendly games of pool. I met an intern from New Hampshire, Chris Clayton, whom I enjoyed teasing about his Northeastern accent. I met a couple guys from the Kansas City area, Ben Dietz and another intern who simply went by “Big Red” due to his full head of red hair and full red beard. It was nice to share comraderies with the other interns.
The next day we heard a presentation from Thomas Pagel, Senior Director, Rules of Golf & Amateur Status. It was eye opening to hear some examples of ways in which one can breach their Amateur Status, often unintentionally.
The USGA defines an amateur golfer as one who, “plays competitively or recreationally, is one who plays golf for the challenge it presents, not as a profession and not for financial gain.” This sounds straight forward, but I learned there were some gray areas. For example, one has to be careful of providing instruction to people. The USGA considers any teaching of swing mechanics to a player as, “instructing,” which could then deem one a professional. Another thing one must be careful of is accepting cash or other forms of payment for their play.
Following Mr. Pagel, was Mr. David Staebler, Director of Rules Education. Mr. Staebler provided us with a brief overview of the Rules of Golf. Again, there are entire committees and sub committees at the state and national level in regards to the Rules of Golf.
Given that there were two and a half days and roughly 15 speakers I think the USGA did the best they could with the allotted time. We merely scratched the surface on most of the topics discussed.
On day two, following the presentations, we were given the opportunity to attend the USGA Museum and Test Center in Far Hills, New Jersey. The museum was filled with golf artifacts and memorabilia. It was an awesome thing to see Ben Hogan’s infamous one iron and actual scorecards from Tiger Woods’ championships. We saw the Arnold Palmer and Jack Nicklaus rooms. So many of these artifacts had stories along with them and the stories are what make them come to life.
In summary, it was an educational few days with the USGA. Certainly, we covered a lot of information and most of it was run through quickly, but I’d like to think I benefited from attending and have a better understanding of how the USGA and regional golf associations like GAM work together for the benefit of the game of golf.
